University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Movement South and Westward
Following Eli Whitney's invention in 1793 of the cotton gin -- a machine that separated raw cotton from seeds and other waste -- the cotton market boomed. Planters in the South bought land from small farmers who frequently moved farther...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Westward Expansion
This article offers a detailed history of early 19th century westward migration and the social diversity of the pioneers moving west.
Energy for Sustainable Development
Esd Bulgaria: Kids & Energy: Energy Pioneers: Gertrude Elion (1918 1999)
A profile of Gertrude Belle Elion, an American biochemist and pharmacologist and a Nobel Prize winner. She struggled to find her place in the male-dominated scientific world, and went on to become the first woman to be inducted into the...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Problem of Expansion
With the end of the Revolution, the United States again had to face the old unsolved Western question -- the problem of expansion, with its complications of land, fur trade, Indians, settlement and local government. Lured by the richest...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Information Age
This exhibition surveys the history of information technology and its relation to society from the origin of the telegraph to the present. Its emphasis is as much on social as technical change. This support page contains background...
University of Groningen
American History: Biographies: Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding, twenty-ninth President of the United States, was born on November 2, 1865, on the family farm at Blooming Grove, Morrow County, Ohio. His parents were Dr. George Tryon Harding and Phoebe Dickerson Harding,...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Adeline Hornbeck and the Homestead Act
This Teaching with Historic Places instructional activity effectively depicts the life of a pioneer woman and ways in which the Homestead Act impacted her life. The site includes lesson plans, inquiry questions, and photos that may be...
Library of Congress
Loc: The History of the Upper Midwest
Wonderful site that presents the history of the upper Midwest from the 1600s to around 1900, including Minnesota, Michigan, and Northwest Territories.
Smithsonian Institution
National Air and Space Museum: The Black Wings Story
This online story tells of how African Americans overcame enormous obstacles to break into aviation. Besides tracing the story there are primary sources, classroom activities, and teaching resources are included.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Texas Ranch House
What was it like to be a cowboy in 1867? Visit the Cooke Ranch and explore a cowboy's working and dwelling quarters. Play the interactive games to learn about the many aspects of daily life in the American West. (Click "Interactive...
Read Works
Read Works: Heading West
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about every-day life for American pioneers. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in comparing and contrasting.
Curated OER
Cbc.ca: Taking the West Pioneers Head West
After Confederation, Canada focused on settling the vast lands to the West. They hoped to avoid the problems already faced by the Americans in western expansion by establishing peace and law before the settlers arrived.
Other
American Foundation for the Blind: Anne Sullivan Macy
A biographical overview of the life of Anne Sullivan Macy, devoted teacher of Heller Keller and a pioneer in the education of the visually impaired which earned her the nickname "miracle worker". Learn about her through her own letters,...
Other
American Foundation for the Blind: Anne Sullivan Macy: Miracle Worker
An extensive biography of Anne Sullivan Macy, who pioneered techniques for teaching the blind and deaf through her work with Helen Keller. Includes many images and primary source documents, such as letters. Anne had a difficult...
Other
Pioneers, Inc.: Black Scientists and Inventors
Find brief descriptions of the inventions of many African-American inventors in many fields in the 19th century.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Southwest Literacy Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart is a literacy unit based around a Southwest / Westward Expansion Theme. Native Americans, pioneers, and the old west is covered. 8 different literacy strategies are taught with FULL...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Our Story: Life in a Sod House
Imagine moving into a house made out of sod that you and your family had to build in the middle of a prairie! Find great information and activities that will help you understand how it felt to live on the prairie.
Energy for Sustainable Development
Esd Bulgaria: Kids & Energy: Energy Pioneers: John Presper Eckert Jr.
A profile of John Presper Eckert Jr., an American electrical engineer and computer pioneer.
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: "Two Pioneers" by Elia W. Peattie
Elia W. Peattie wrote about life in the West. "Two Pioneers" recounts the tale of a priest who makes friends with a "lady of the night". Read the full text on this site.
Energy for Sustainable Development
Esd Bulgaria: Kids & Energy: Energy Pioneers: Edward Alexander Bouchet
A profile of Edward Alexander Bouchet (1852-1918), the first African American to graduate from Yale in 1874, and the first to earn a doctorate from an American university when he earned a Ph.D. in physics in 1876.
Energy for Sustainable Development
Esd Bulgaria: Kids & Energy: Energy Pioneers: David Nelson Crosthwait
A profile of David Nelson Crosthwait (1898-1976), an African-American electrical and mechanical engineer. He was considered an authority on heat transfer, ventilation and air conditioning.
Other
Kings Landing Historical Settlement
Kings Landing Historical Settlement reflects life in the 19th century. Learn about the Loyalists who escaped the American Revolution and the hardships they faced working to establish their homes in New Brunswick.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Althea Gibson Won Again!
Althea Gibson made it possible for the Williams sisters to play at Wimbledon. As the first African-American to win that title, she was a pioneer. See photos and read more about her on this Library of Congress site.
A&E Television
History.com: 6 Little Known Pioneers of Aviation
From an early glider experimenter to the first man to fly solo around the world, here are six lesser-known pilots and inventors who made their mark on aviation.
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